With the cost of a DTM kit or CSP kit, you'd think there'd be more interest in a cheaper alternative.

It has been talked about for years, unfortunately the only way to really gauge the market is to make some.
If you end up buying most of it from CSP anyway you might as well get it all.
CSP sells a few $$$ parts in the kit that are useless to most folks or ridiculously overpriced like the "rear tin" bit.
Std T1 rear tin can be adapted in minutes for a whole lot less than $185, and work/fits 10X better.
There are much better ways to do the oil filler/dipstick as well.
CSP kits claim to fame it it all just bolts on so no fab.
You get to pay a lot extra for that.

If you could source a "kit" of just the CSP parts that are actually required and DIY patterns for rest $$$ is not that bad.

I personally just want the head tin, everything else is easy.

I, for one, regularly embrace our new robot overlords, as I am the guy fixing the robots...

HI Dave,
A bit of experience from the original guy that brought the T-4 Upright Conversion to the common man, ha. When I wrote the manual it did not come out till 1990 ( if I remember ) actually it is in the copywrite on the manual, but I don’t have one here to check, ha!! It took two years and the only info I could get in the 80’s was from HVW, VW TRENDS and go to Times Square in NYC, were I work to an international Book store for magazine. I wrote to them all and they wrote many articles on the first DYI Upright t-4 Conversions. Actually I was in VW Australia several times and worked with Mike Sharpe by Snail Mail. I was told the my designs were the first and that kits like CSP used my design THE CALI STYLE as their blueprint.

So I thought, how can I make a Profit selling this manual -- No internet only magazines -- it cost me $250 a month to advertize with a microscopic ad. How many guys will do this , how many have the skill, the bug and the T-4 engines?????

When the internet came, I did my site, and no more $250 per month. Now I don’t advertize it is self perpetuating on the net, they find me. I have sold thousands of manuals worldwide , in the beginning more than now but 5000 is a good number

OK what will guys pay???? Well, you need Two Sets of T-4 Tin to make one set of cylinder covers and after 30 plus years not many extra tins around. Only rear tin is used to make it. Think EBAY!! Words gets out.

Ok well I bought the red set a few years ago. 2 sets really then sold 1 set for what I had into the 2 of them. The gen stand and oil dip stick block offs came from the same place. Last weekend I bought the metal pair for 20.00. So I am a cheap a$$ if I could buy the kit for 1/2 the price of new I would buy a kit.

I may just be weird, but I really like the idea of metal tins. That said, i may buy the V2 DTM deluxe kit for it's completeness, mainly because I started my T4 build with nothing. Before I do that, I will have a go at making my own cylinder tins, assuming I can find two sets of tins from a 914.

I may just be weird, but I really like the idea of metal tins. That said, i may buy the V2 DTM deluxe kit for it's completeness, mainly because I started my T4 build with nothing. Before I do that, I will have a go at making my own cylinder tins, assuming I can find two sets of tins from a 914.

H2OSB

Is 914 cylinder tin somehow different from a "regular" type 4 engine tin?

I may just be weird, but I really like the idea of metal tins. That said, i may buy the V2 DTM deluxe kit for it's completeness, mainly because I started my T4 build with nothing. Before I do that, I will have a go at making my own cylinder tins, assuming I can find two sets of tins from a 914.

H2OSB

Is 914 cylinder tin somehow different from a "regular" type 4 engine tin?

The spark plug holes are in the right place if you have 2L 914 heads, or relocated plugs.
This is fairly easy to change, so don't let that be a showstopper.

I, for one, regularly embrace our new robot overlords, as I am the guy fixing the robots...

I may just be weird, but I really like the idea of metal tins. That said, i may buy the V2 DTM deluxe kit for it's completeness, mainly because I started my T4 build with nothing. Before I do that, I will have a go at making my own cylinder tins, assuming I can find two sets of tins from a 914.

H2OSB

Is 914 cylinder tin somehow different from a "regular" type 4 engine tin?

The spark plug holes are in the right place if you have 2L 914 heads, or relocated plugs.
This is fairly easy to change, so don't let that be a showstopper.

Thanks for the reply.

I was just wondering what might have been the reason / difference. This is not really an issue for me as I'm making fiberglass ones for myself. (started making the mold already)